The present invention relates to child training devices and, in particular, to a seat cushion for training a child in the use of provided seat belts and/or distracting the child's attention from the restraint.
While a variety of child carriers have been developed for supporting an infant in relative safety in an automotive seat, such carriers are typically of a rigid construction. They usually support the child in intervening relation to the seat belt, such that during a collision, the child remains seated with the shock being absorbed by the carrier. Additional restraints may also be included with the carrier for separately securing the child thereto.
While such devices have proved effective in reducing infant injuries, as the child outgrows the carrier and reaches an age where it is preferable to use the seat belts in their conventional fashion, the child may demonstrate an aversion to the restraint on his/her activity. Thus, it is believed that a need exists for an intermediate training device as the child is converted over from a rigid carrier to the use of the seat belts by themselves.
Specifically, the present invention contemplates a padded seat cushion assembly configured in various animal or cartoon character shapes or in a conventional shape with a brightly patterned fabric covering appealing to the child and having attached padded arms which are securable to one another and which may be encircled about the child in a "hugging" fashion. The padded arms are intended to partially camouflage the separately attached seat belts or other restraint and distract the child. The experience is thus made more pleasurable to the developing child and, over time, is believed to reinforce the desirability of buckling up when entering a automobile.